1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a pharmaceutical composition useful for improvement and/or treatment of a mental symptom caused by an organic disorder in the brain.
More specifically speaking, the present invention relates to a pharmaceutical composition useful for improvement and/or treatment of mental symptoms caused by an organic disorder in the brain, which composition contains 2-(4-methylaminobutoxy)diphenylmenthane or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof as an active ingredient.
By the term "an organic disorder in the brain" as used herein is meant cerebrovascular diseases caused by morbid cerebral vessels, such as cerebral apoplexy (cerebral infarction and cerebral hemorrhage) and cerebral arteriosclerosis, as well as organic disorders caused by senile dementia, head injury, brain tumor, brain surgery, brain abscess, spinal and cerebellar degenerative symptom, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson disease, chorea, athetosis, hemi-ballism and Wilson disease.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The treatment technique for cerebrovascular disease such as cerebral apoplexy (cerebral infarction and cerebral hemorrhage) and cerebral arteriosclerosis has been developed in recent years in the field of neurosurgery. However, such disease still account for the first or second serious cause for death. In many instances, they are accompanied by mental disorders which remain unchanged over long periods of time. The treatment technique for the above disease are still dissatisfactory even at present, although remarkable progress has already been made in the field of medicine.
A wide variety of symptoms accompanying with patients suffering from cerebrovascular diseases, including subjective symptoms such as headache, heavy feeling in the head, dizziness, tinnitus and hand and foot palsy, neurological symptoms such as speech disturbance, paralysis of upper and/or lower extremities and perceptual disorders, and psychological or psychoneurotic symptoms such as reduced intellectual function such as impaired memory and disturbances in impressibility, reduced spontaneity, emotional disturbances and sleep disturbance. Among these symptoms, the psychological or psychoneurotic symptoms are most difficult to treat. These mental symptoms are said to appear in some forms in about 70% of those patients suffering or suffered from cerebrovascular diseases and have become serious obstacles in treating such patients with a view toward positively having them regain their normal life. If a highly aged man suffers from a cerebrovascular disease, an additional load is applied to his brain whose function has already been lowered due to the aging and the reduction in his mental function is expected to be aggravated further.
When treating cerebrovascular disease internally, a variety of cerebral vasodilators, cerebral metabolite activators and the like has heretofore been employed. These drugs have however brought about almost no improvement to nervous symptoms and mental symptoms although certain improvements have certainly been recognized regarding subjective symptoms.
Furthermore, 1.2% of those over 65 years old are suffering from senile dementia and, due to various mental symptoms caused by senile dementia, tremendous troubles are forced to their family members and other people who look after these patients.
A number of medical investigations has been carried out as to development of these mental symptoms. However, many issues remain still unsolved.
With the foregoing in view, the present inventors have conducted for many years an intensive research on drugs effective for improvement and/or treatment of mental symptoms caused by the above-described organic disorders in the brain. As a result, it has now been found that certain mental symptoms, which have heretofore been difficult to treat, may be clearly improved by administering 2-(4-methylaminobutoxy)diphenylmethane or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof to patients. Symptoms, to which the pharmaceutical composition according this invention may be applied effectively, include not only those caused by the above-described cerebrovascular diseases and senile dementia but also those caused by head injuries, brain surgery, brain tumor, brain abscess, spinal and cerebellar degenerative symptom, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson disease, chorea, athetosis, hemi-ballism and Wilson disease.